Message: 6
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2001 23:36:13 -0500
From: Bob Johnson <bobjohnson@alltel.net>
Subject: Re: Re: Gun Flats

Paul and list,

There's a problem with a PRR F23 being acquired by the MC&CL before
WWII. All six Class F23 cars were still in service on the PRR as late
as 10-1-1952 according to internal PRR reports on file in the PA State
Archives. One was dropped from the roster during the month of October
1952. It seems unlikely that anyone could have pulled a LaSalle &
Bureau County-type theft and have hidden the car for over 11 years while
the Pennsy continued to carry it on the books. That sort of thing
happened in Penn Central days. If the car is a PRR F23, it was probably
acquired in the 50's.

Bob Johnson

The car being stolen is somewhat of a local legend--no way of verifying its truthfulness. It strikes me as kind of funny-little MC&CL swiping a car from the giant PRR. The evidence that I have that the car was on the MC&CL before WWII is the date of the photo at http://donross.railspot.com/mccl104.jpg
which is dated as August 4, 1937. I realize that dates are sometimes wrong.... Another piece of evidence is the continued presence of arch-bar trucks on this car. Wren't Arch-bars banned from interchange in 1941? These flats had realtively high loading capacity for their time. They were clearly special purpose cars. Wouldn't PRR have swapped out the arch-bars for something a little more road-worthy well before WWII? Also if the MC&CL was looking for freight car to use as a basis for a snowplow (to be purchased) why did they not buy one off of the four railroads that they interchanged with?

A lot of questions for a rather modest little car!

Have a Good Day
Paul Kattner
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